eities, Lord Rama and His consort, Seeta, and Lord Shiva and His consort, Parvati, form

the main theme of folk

ain tings. Bihar, a land of many Buddhist Monasteries is also known as 'The Land of Buddha'.
he beautiful stories of the ancient times are depicted in the exquisite handicrafts of Bihar.
ne of the art forms of Bihar, the Madhubani School of Painting, has lately received much attention and poularity.
Madhubani, in the heart of the Mithila region,
ad a rich tradition of wall pain tings done by the
illagewomen with vegetable dyes. An artist
ncouraged them to try their wall paintings on
aper and since then Mithila paintings gained
round. These line paintings in primary colors
ormally depict village scenes, human and
nimal forms, gods and goddesses.
Patna Qalam
atna Qalam is a very popular School of
ainting of Bihar. This offshoot of the well
nown Mughal Miniature School of Painting
ourished in Bihar during early 18th to mid 20th
entury. With the decline of the Mughals, the
elhi artists migrated to Murshidabad. Some of
nem came to Patna and practiced their craft
ollowing a style that gradually came to be
nown as the Patna Qalam. The style is famous
or its soft colors and the use of hand made
aper or mica sheets. Most of these paintings
epict the life of the people of Bihar.
Folk Arts Chhau Dance

he simple tribal people of Bihar express their creative joy through the Chhau dance, which was originally a war dance,
reformed in order to perfect figh ting techniques. It has, over the years, evolved into a narrative ballet.
Jat-Jatin Dance

lat-Jatin Dance of the Mithila region is performed by the Harijans where one person performs the role of Jat (the
usband) and Jatin (the wife) wearing masks and goes through the story of their life.
Bidesia

Bidesia is another form of dance drama that is extremely popular in the Bhojpuri-speaking region of Bihar.
Jidyapati Songs
he region of Mithilanchal is famous for the songs of Vidyapati (famous poet of early medieval age) those can be hearo
ven now in the evenings from several homes in the region. Bhojpuri folksongs are popular in Bihar and second to none
vhen it comes to beats and rhythm.
Crafts
illages around Bodhgaya create fascinating handicrafts. Fantastic bamboo articles, leather works, statues made up of
vhite metal, wooden toys and baskets made from cane and bamboo are available in plenty.
Bhagalpur is famous for its silk industry and is con sidered to be one of the best silk producing centres in India, in
nanufacturing silk yarn and weaving them into lovely products. This silk is ofa distinct and special type. It is known as
he tussah or tusser silk.
Other crafts of Bihar include Sujni embroidery, lac bangle making, and creation of decorative and utility items of Seenki
alocal dried grass).
ihar is also famous for the cotton dhurries and curtains produced by artisans in central Bihar, particularly in the Patna
nd Bihar-Sharif areas.